Two new judges join the Cayman bench

Two new Grand Court judges began work on Thursday after they were sworn in by Governor Helen Kilpatrick on Monday.

Justice Ingrid Mangatal joins the Cayman judiciary from Jamaica, and Justice Robin McMillan, who assumes an acting position, served as a Crown counsel locally before joining private practice.

Chief Justice Anthony Smellie said Justice Mangatal will serve as one of the four resident full-time judges working in the Financial Services, Family, General Civil and Criminal divisions of the Grand Court. Justice McMillan will serve as an acting judge as the need arises from time to time, he said, in the Family, General Civil and Criminal divisions.

“The fact that he is also resident on Island will enhance our ability to assign cases to him,” Chief Justice Smellie said.

Justice Mangatal has extensive experience both as a judge and advocate, including stints in Cayman as an acting Grand Court judge in 2009 and 2014. Prior to coming to Cayman, she served as an acting judge in Jamaica’s Court of Appeal and as a judge in the Supreme Court of Judicature in its criminal, civil and commercial jurisdictions.

Acting Justice McMillan has had experience in several jurisdictions, including Bermuda, Hong Kong, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and California. He specializes in international commercial litigation, insolvency trusts, company law, judicial review, and public law.

Chief Justice Smellie welcomed the new judges as colleagues in the Cayman judiciary.

Noting their varied and extensive resumes, the Chief Justice said it is “apparent that they bring with them the depth of knowledge and expertise that is ever more in demand for dealing with the increasing numbers of complex and challenging cases coming before our courts.